Device for applying labels on plane surfaces

ABSTRACT

A unit of label supplying, label gluing and glued label applying devices is mounted on a base plate which is slidable along the path of the cartons or other units to be labelled. The label applying device is a drum having coaxially therewith, a sprocket which engages a chain displaceable along the slidable base plate. A fixed base plate, parallel to the slidable one, has stationary stop means, secured to the chain. Upon the arrival of a carton, a signal first causes the slidable base plate, with the equipment thereon, to move along the carton; after completion of this motion it causes the slidable base plate to return to a prior position. During the first motion a label is supplied by the label supplying part of the unit; during the return motion the label is supplied to the carton, on a plane surface thereof.

R. WETZIG Jan. 1, 1914 DEVICE FOR APPLYING LABELS ON PLANE SURFACES 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Fil ed Jan. 10, 1972 Jan. 1, 1,74 w 3,783,076

DEVICE FOR APPLYING LABELS ON PLANE SURFACES Filed Jan. 10, 1972 I 2Sheets-Sheet 2 US. Cl. 156-364 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aunit of label supplying, label gluing and glued label applying devicesis mounted on a base plate which is slidable along the path of thecartons or other units to be labelled. The label applying device is adrum having coaxially therewith, a sprocket which engages a chaindisplaceable along the slidable base plate. A fixed base plate, parallelto the slidable one, has stationary stop means mounted thereon andinter-engageable with movable stop means, secured to the chain. Upon thearrival of a carton, a signal first causes the slidable base plate, withthe equipment thereon, to move along the carton; after completion ofthis motion it causes the slidable base plate to return to a priorposition. During the first motion a label is supplied by the labelsupplying part of the unit; during the return motion the label isapplied to the carton, on a plane surface thereof.

BACKGROUND AND NATURE OF THE INVENTION The application of labels tocartons has been performed by moving the carton relative to and alongthe labeling machine under uniform speed conditions and causing themachine to take a label from a magazine by suction means, to apply gluethereto and then to press the glued label against the surface of thecarton. These machines required special drives for the relative motions,which were costly and also were applicable only to cartons continuouslyarriving on the conveyor. When the carton feed was not exactly withinthe predetermined speed limits and was, for example, actuatedpneumatically (as in many pneumatically operated packing devices) it wasimpossible to use such a labelling machine.

The invention reduces the complexities and cost of the drive arrangementand makes the labelling machine usable under desired variations of feedand speed conditions. At the same time it keeps the dimensions of themachine most limited; it can be used in cooperation with products of anydesired packing machine or other source of structures to be labeled, andha other advantages which will become obvious to a person skilled in theart upon perusal of the following disclosure.

For the indicated purposes, the invention provides a base plate or thelike, slidable on and along a fixed support; a label supply, labelgluing and glued label applying unit on the base plate; and normallystationary stop means on the fixed support, engageable with stop meanswhich are moved along the slidable base plate by the label applyingdevice under the control of carton-actuated signal means.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the new machine;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and are plan views similar to FIG. 2., but showing differentpositions of the machine; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a detail from FIG. 2, 4 or 5.

United States Patent 0 M 3,783,076 Patented Jan. 1, 1974 Referring firstto FIGS. 1 to 3: labelling drum 1, label magazine 2 and glue applyingroller unit 3 are mounted on a base plate 4, as is usual, but accordingto the invention base plate 4 is horizontally slidable reciprocallyabove and parallel to a stationary base plate 5 which has guides 6 forhorizontally guiding the slidable plate 4. Stationary plate 5 alsosupports a slide actuator, such as horizontal fluid pressure cylinder 7on holding means 7A for hydraulic or pneumatic operation of a piston 7B,connected to slidable plate 4 by a fitting 7C, in order to causereciprocation of the slidable base plate above and along the fixed baseplate.

In further accordance with the invention labelling drum 1 has, coaxiallyand rigidly secured thereto and shown as disposed therebelow, a sprocket8, the pitch diameter of which equals the effective diameter of labeldrum 1. Concentrically to this sprocket and the overlying labelling drumthere is provided a vacuum column 9, known by itself, to apply suction,through the drum, to labels in magazine 2 when the supply of labels isrequired.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, chain 10 is wrapped around sprocket 8 as aloop of extension and this chain also runs over further sprockets 11which are spaced from the first-mentioned or drum-connected sprocket inthe direction of relative motion between the labelling unit 1 to 3 andthe stationary base plate 5. Chain 10 has stop elements 12, 13, 14, 15secured thereto at uniform distances. These stops are engageable withstationary stop means 17, 18 secured to stationary holders 16 on baseplate 5. Depending on the position of chain 10, selected stationarystops 17, 18 are engaged with the chain, always behind one of the chainmounted stop means such as 14 or 15. For this purpose (FIG. 6) a spring17A presses stationary stop 17 into engagement with a chain stop 12,moving toward the right, while allowing stop 12 to move over cam surface173 on the return trip.

The entire arrangement is compact, as may be noted mainly frominspection of FIG. 3.

Reference now will be made to the positions of FIGS. 2 and 4 to explainthe labelling operation. In either of these positions the chain is atrest. Assuming that, in the position of FIG. 2, limit switch 19 sensesthe arrival of a carton 20 (which is received on any suitable conveyor,not shown, along a run of chain 10 from sprocket 8 to sprocket 11), thisswitch by conventional electric circuitry 20A can operate a threewayvalve 20B, which by means of duct 20C brings pressure or wasteconnection to one end of cylinder 7, from a suitable pressure source orpressure sink, not shown, As a result, piston 7B moves slidable baseplate 4 towards the right of FIG. 2 until the slidable plate with theequipment thereon reaches the position of FIG. 4. The stationary stop 18then elastically engages behind chain stop 13, stopping chain 10.

The rightward motion of the labelling unit, along the carton, has turneddrum 1, on vacuum column 9, by 180. During this motion, a label 21 hasbeen supplied from magazine 2 by suction, as is known from otherlabelling machines. This label is supplied with glue as it passes gluingunit 3, and is then brought into position shown in FIG. 4, the endposition of slidable base plate 4 at the right end of its travel. Bythen, chain stop 13 has been brought to a point behind stationary stop18, as noted.

Suitable automatic means, such as reversing control 20D (FIG. 1), thenreverses the pressure conditions in cylinder 7 through duct 20C, therebybringing sliding base plate 4 back into the original position shown inFIG. 2. Meanwhile, chain 10 is immovable relative to stationary baseplate 5, due to the engagement of stationary and chain stops 18, 13.Accordingly, the label drum 1 now rolls back along carton 20, over label21, which it thereby glues to the carton. The carton then is removedfrom the machine.

These processes are repeated whenever new cartons arrive, regardless oftheir speed and frequency of arrival. They must only be kept in contactwith the machine for a time interval sutficient for therightward-leftward motions of piston 7B and gluing unit 1, 2, 3.

While the device, as described up to here, applies a label to a flatsurface of the carton, between sprockets 8 and 11, it can also apply alabel around a corner of the carton. For this purpose it can have anadditional control valve 20E and cylinder 22 (FIG. for moving a pressureroller 23 at right angles to chain 10, along a front surface of carton20. For this operation, limit switch 19 is brought into position 19'.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying labels to articles comprising an articleconveyor, a labelling station adjacent said conveyor, means for stoppingarticles on the conveyor at said labelling station, said labellingstation comprising a fixed base, a movable base having guide means forguiding it in reciprocal movement relative to said fixed base andadjacent a surface of an item to be labelled, means for producingreciprocal movement of said movable base, means responsive to thearrival of an item at the labelling station for controlling said meansfor producing movement of said movable base, a label applying drumrotatably mounted on said movable base, a label supply adjacent saiddrum, a sprocket drivingly connected to said drum, a chain trainedaround said drum and around an idler sprocket mounted on said movablebase, stop means fixed relatively to said fixed base and cooperatingwith stop means on said chain whereby as said movable base isreciprocated in a plane relative to said fixed base rotation of the drumabout an axis normal to the plane in which said movable basereciprocates is produced to transfer a label from said supply to saidarticle.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sprocket is coaxial withsaid drum and of equal diameter to said drum.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises twodogs and the stop means on the chain comprise spaced stop elements, oneof said dogs cooperating with an adjacent stop element of the chain uponmovement of said movable base in one direction to cause rotation of saidlabel applying drum and the other of said dogs cooperating with anadjacent stop element of said chain to produce rotation of said labelapplying drum upon movement of said movable base in the oppositedirection.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said dogs are shiftablebetween operative and inoperative positions and including spring meansurging said dogs to said operative position.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for producingreciprocal movement of said movable base comprises a double actingpiston and cylinder.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including means for pressing a labelagainst a surface of said item to be labelled said means being movablein a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said drum whereby alabel can be applied to adjacent surfaces at a corner of an item to belabelled.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including means sensing the arrivalof an item at the labelling station and operable to control movement ofsaid label pressing means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1972 Pierce et a1. 156-574 X1/1970 Faltot 156-364 X US. Cl. X.R.

156-556, 571, 574, Dig. 39

